I was watching part of a doll show with Madame Alexander dolls. Never heard of them before, but they’re yucky! They’re these little 8”-10” vinyl dolls with tacky little outfits that cost $100 or more. I can’t believe they’re priced over $10.

There was a message from Andy when I got up. So he does want the button sewn still. He said he’s gonna bring them over this weekend. He’s onto another temp job now and he says he’s glad he’s got weekends off so he can make plans with people. Yeah, well, it isn’t gonna be me. I told him that I’d be no good for company and visits while we’re here, but I didn’t want to push the matter on him for fear of him trying all the harder to get together with me or deciding he needed favors on the weekends. He mentioned going to bars, and that he felt like there was something else he wanted to tell me or ask me. Well, he better not think of asking me for more favors or a huge one cuz the answer’s no. The timing’s lousy and I’m sick of him using me. I’m tired of him coming around only when he wants something.

Tom got another idea (we really meant it when we said we’d discuss all possible options) to get us out of here faster, yet still enable us to have what we want. If a house is no more than 1000 feet away from where the electricity is, the electric company won’t charge anything to hook a house up to it. After that, it’s $6 a foot which can get pretty expensive if your house is 2000 feet away or more. So we talked about maybe getting a cheap, older, smaller house that’s already rigged with utilities, then turning right around and putting in a big, new, modern house immediately after moving in. That way we won’t have to worry about the expense of electricity, phones, wells, etc. This should also enable us to have plenty of money for new furniture.

Sadly enough, though, I really think we’ll be here into September. Maybe even October. Long enough for Tammy and God knows who else to call me that I don’t want to hear from. Thank God for caller ID and answering machines! Sales calls and Andy’s calls, although Tom thinks it’s Eldon, always have to come and distract me when I’m in the middle of a conversation with Tom, or doing something, so from here on out, I’m keeping the ringer off.

Tom’s gonna order me a couple more Heart CDs online. I really love that song Dreamboat Annie and would love to hear the live version of it, so he’s gonna get me a live CD of theirs. Also, the album Dreamboat Annie has 3 different versions of the song. That ought to be interesting. Can’t wait to check it out.

Tom’s mom did give him a birthday card and check, after all. He just got it in person when he went to visit, rather than in the mail. He told her about our land hunt the other day, and as figured, she didn’t say a word about it. She was too busy wrapped up in her favorite subject - herself. Although not entirely. Ray’s been eating at her a lot lately. He has a bad liver and the doctor says he’s dying, even though I don’t sense him going any time soon. Getting a liver transplant is nearly impossible. It’s harder to get than heart transplants.

Today Tom’s gonna get some real primer that’ll seal up anything in one coat like we should’ve gotten in the first place. It’s not fumeless, but anything’s better than the rotten egg smell of the drain opener we use from time to time. Also, he fixed the cooler, so we can vent the place when we use it.

Next door’s still behaving. Haven’t seen the white car or the ranchero for nearly two weeks now. The question is, what will it be like when I do see them again? Or, I should say, what will it sound like. All there’s been in the way of noise was a 3-minute episode yesterday afternoon, but it wasn’t music. Debra decided to cuss out and threaten one of the kids that were wailing its little ass off in the carport. Every time I hear Deb lately, she’s swearing and fuming mad. Is she that black bitch’s sister or something?